BCARS
Add MSS 412
Box 6 File 3
H.M.S. “Melita”
Constan.
8 Oct.
Dear Miss O’Reilly,
I have to thank you for your letter before leaving England from near Taunton[?]. I hope you had a better passage out than you were anticipating, and one arrival found your people well. I did’nt hear that my brother was at all bothered by your changes of tickets. Of course you will see my mother again, and I hope I shall be in England next time you come. We are ordered down to Malta next month, the ship having then done about a year in these waters. We shall not be there long – after a refit we shall probably be off for the Red Sea, & spend at least the first six months of the year there. I do not want another winter here so I’m rather glad to go but the summer has been very nice, & its sad to think its over and all the enviable people at Therafin[?] are gradually leaving. We are still trying to keep cricket going, but it is difficult to get them together. However we have played 22 matches, so cannot complain. The weather has quite broken up, & rain set in. I hope tomorrow may be fine as we have arranged boat races for the crews of all the foreign men-of-war here. I hope it will be a success, I shall have to have all the Captains and their wives on board, and shall not be sorry when the day is over. I struggled in to the semi-finals in the lawn tennis tournament, which I thought rather good for my age. I do not think I shall get my promotion by protecting the people out here. If there was a general massacre of Europeans started, I’m afraid my little ship could’nt do much against 500,000 fanatical Turks assisted by their soldiers. They have at least signed the preliminaries of peace, & the Greek flag is again flying in these waters but it is a long way off settled yet. I’m glad for the sake of the Greeks here, some of whom I know, and are amongst the nicest people in the place. All the young ones brought up by English governesses, & talk English like natives. I shall hope for a letter some day, when the humour again takes you, telling me of Victoria B.C. & those I know there. I often long to have a run out, and see it again – there is a great fascination about British Columbia. Please give my kindest remembrances to all your people, and hoping you and they are well. Ever yours sincerely
Harry Stanhope
P.S. Does Jack still call you Sistar
Back to 1897 Correspondence
This collection of letters has been digitized from an earlier transcription project and is for informational purposes only. This transcription has not been verified against the originals. Researchers interested in these letters should consult the original documents housed at the BC Archives.